FOR THE THIRD time in two years, an Irish side will visit Stade Marcel Deflandre hoping to conquer Stade Rochelais and maybe the weather.
Ulster were in La Rochelle in January 2023 and suffered a heartbreaking 7-3 defeat to Ronan O’Gara’s side in a relentless, swirling downpour.
Leinster were at the 16,700-capacity venue in December 2023 for a bruising battle in the rain, emerging with a 16-9 victory that ended their run of three consecutive defeats to the Top 14 side.
Now, just over a year later, Leinster will look to make it three wins in a row against La Rochelle on Sunday when the French club will have their 101st sell-out in a row at the Marcel Deflandre.
The game in between was in Dublin last April when Leo Cullen and Jacques Nienaber’s men hammered their arch-rivals 40-13 in the Champions Cup quarter-finals, scoring five tries and limiting the French team to just one.
La Rochelle can still look back on their two final wins against Leinster in 2022 and 2023 with satisfaction but last season saw the Irish province begin to change the relationship. Some demons were vanquished, even if Leinster went on to lose to Toulouse in the decider.
Toulouse also dished out play-off pain to La Rochelle last season, beating them in the Top 14 semi-finals before claiming a glorious double. O’Gara’s wait to bring a Bouclier de Brennus to the Vieux Port in La Rochelle goes on and there’s no doubt that it’s the priority for his club, but the Champions Cup still matters hugely.
All the more so given that last season’s pair of defeats to Leinster will be fresh in les Rochelais’ minds. Losing that home pool game to Leinster contributed to La Rochelle having to go on the road for the Round of 16 last season, meaning a trip to South Africa to play the Stormers before facing Leinster in Dublin a week later. It obviously didn’t help their cause, even if Leinster’s class was the truly decisive factor in that quarter-final.
This weekend’s tie is crucial for similar reasons to last season’s pool battle. Leinster and La Rochelle are both on nine match points after the opening two rounds in Pool 2 of the Champions Cup.
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Leinster celebrate their December 2023 win in La Rochelle. Dan Sheridan / INPHO
Dan Sheridan / INPHO / INPHO
Sunday’s victors will boost their bid for top seeding for the knock-out stages, bringing with it home advantage, while the losers will drop away. A draw would suit neither in this regard.
It’s expected to rain all week in the west coast city but there is some hope that conditions will be clearer by Sunday. Even if it is another wet showdown in the French winter, it should be compelling.
O’Gara must have been concerned with Saturday night’s narrow 22-19 victory at home to Toulouse in the Top 14, a result that sounds pretty good against the reigning double champions. However, the visitors rested nearly all of their frontliners ahead of the Champions Cup trip to play the Sharks in South Africa, fielding an inexperienced side that even included 18-year-old debutant fullback Thomas Alary.
The youthful Toulousain players deserve huge credit for their gritty performance but La Rochelle’s sloppiness heavily contributed to O’Gara’s side needing an Antoine Hastoy penalty with the last action of the game to win it. The head coach had spent most of the game up in the coaches’ box but was down on the sideline by the end, roaring. “Trois points, trois!” as his players considered going to touch. Hastoy took on what was a tough kick wide on the left and nailed it.
The last-gasp win means La Rochelle are in sixth place [the last play-off spot in the Top 14] after 14 games of the 26-match regular season. O’Gara will be keen for his men to make a march up the ladder this year given that they were away for both of their play-offs last season, beating Toulon in the barrages but then losing to the well-rested Toulouse a week later.
Their performances have been up and down, as with last season. A 23-14 defeat at home to bottom club Vannes in November was the low point, although La Rochelle have had good wins against the likes of Bordeaux, Racing 92, and Stade Français.
They also started their Champions Cup campaign well last month, overcoming Johann van Graan’s Bath on a miserable night in Somerset and then notching a try-scoring bonus point as they dispatched Bristol back home.
While some of the French media feel this is the end of an era for the two-time Champions Cup winners, they still possess lots of the power and class that drove them to those titles.
Inside centre Jonathan Danty is out injured but hasn’t been in his best form for a while anyway, while big lock Will Skelton could return this weekend after missing the Toulouse game. Having the Aussie behemoth back would be important.
Leinster are aiming for three wins in a row against La Rochelle. Dan Sheridan / INPHO
Dan Sheridan / INPHO / INPHO
Captain and number eight Grégory Alldritt is in good form and continues to lead La Rochelle’s breakdown efforts as he makes up an excellent back row with Paul Boudehent – who started twice for France in the autumn – and the 21-year-old Oscar Jégou, who made his debut for les Bleus last year and was brilliant against Toulouse.
34-year-old scrum-half Tawera Kerr-Barlow is set to move on to Stade Français at the end of this season, with gifted Racing halfback Nolann le Garrec coming in, but he remains as combative and competitive as ever, while Hastoy made a big impact off the bench having replaced Ihaia West last weekend.
Hooker Pierre Bourgarit is a long-term injury absentee but former Wallabies international Tolu Latu brings power at number two, although he probably should have been sent off against Toulouse for landing down onto Simon Daroque’s knee when ploughing into a defensive ruck.
Tighthead prop Uinu Atonio is trucking along at the age of 34, while Reda Wardi is a fine loosehead. The likes of Ultan Dillane and 35-year-old Levani Botia give O’Gara and forwards coach Donnacha Ryan options up front.
An occasional lack of cutting edge in the back three should be addressed next season with the addition of brilliant Georgian flyer Davit Niniashvili from Lyon, but O’Gara knows La Rochelle probably need tries against a Leinster team that doesn’t give up many of them.
Jack Nowell and Dillyn Leyds started on the wings last weekend but the latter was forced off with a head injury, while Teddy Thomas – who has been playing at outside centre – is currently suspended.
So even though Leinster know all about the strengths of this La Rochelle team and how they can batter teams when they’re on song, there have been signs of vulnerability this season.
A win in Stade Marcel Deflandre would tee the Irish side up for another crack at the knock-outs with a favourable seeding, but La Rochelle will surely make them fight ferociously for it.
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La Rochelle will fight ferociously on home patch against Leinster
FOR THE THIRD time in two years, an Irish side will visit Stade Marcel Deflandre hoping to conquer Stade Rochelais and maybe the weather.
Ulster were in La Rochelle in January 2023 and suffered a heartbreaking 7-3 defeat to Ronan O’Gara’s side in a relentless, swirling downpour.
Leinster were at the 16,700-capacity venue in December 2023 for a bruising battle in the rain, emerging with a 16-9 victory that ended their run of three consecutive defeats to the Top 14 side.
Now, just over a year later, Leinster will look to make it three wins in a row against La Rochelle on Sunday when the French club will have their 101st sell-out in a row at the Marcel Deflandre.
The game in between was in Dublin last April when Leo Cullen and Jacques Nienaber’s men hammered their arch-rivals 40-13 in the Champions Cup quarter-finals, scoring five tries and limiting the French team to just one.
La Rochelle can still look back on their two final wins against Leinster in 2022 and 2023 with satisfaction but last season saw the Irish province begin to change the relationship. Some demons were vanquished, even if Leinster went on to lose to Toulouse in the decider.
Toulouse also dished out play-off pain to La Rochelle last season, beating them in the Top 14 semi-finals before claiming a glorious double. O’Gara’s wait to bring a Bouclier de Brennus to the Vieux Port in La Rochelle goes on and there’s no doubt that it’s the priority for his club, but the Champions Cup still matters hugely.
All the more so given that last season’s pair of defeats to Leinster will be fresh in les Rochelais’ minds. Losing that home pool game to Leinster contributed to La Rochelle having to go on the road for the Round of 16 last season, meaning a trip to South Africa to play the Stormers before facing Leinster in Dublin a week later. It obviously didn’t help their cause, even if Leinster’s class was the truly decisive factor in that quarter-final.
This weekend’s tie is crucial for similar reasons to last season’s pool battle. Leinster and La Rochelle are both on nine match points after the opening two rounds in Pool 2 of the Champions Cup.
Sunday’s victors will boost their bid for top seeding for the knock-out stages, bringing with it home advantage, while the losers will drop away. A draw would suit neither in this regard.
It’s expected to rain all week in the west coast city but there is some hope that conditions will be clearer by Sunday. Even if it is another wet showdown in the French winter, it should be compelling.
O’Gara must have been concerned with Saturday night’s narrow 22-19 victory at home to Toulouse in the Top 14, a result that sounds pretty good against the reigning double champions. However, the visitors rested nearly all of their frontliners ahead of the Champions Cup trip to play the Sharks in South Africa, fielding an inexperienced side that even included 18-year-old debutant fullback Thomas Alary.
The youthful Toulousain players deserve huge credit for their gritty performance but La Rochelle’s sloppiness heavily contributed to O’Gara’s side needing an Antoine Hastoy penalty with the last action of the game to win it. The head coach had spent most of the game up in the coaches’ box but was down on the sideline by the end, roaring. “Trois points, trois!” as his players considered going to touch. Hastoy took on what was a tough kick wide on the left and nailed it.
The last-gasp win means La Rochelle are in sixth place [the last play-off spot in the Top 14] after 14 games of the 26-match regular season. O’Gara will be keen for his men to make a march up the ladder this year given that they were away for both of their play-offs last season, beating Toulon in the barrages but then losing to the well-rested Toulouse a week later.
Their performances have been up and down, as with last season. A 23-14 defeat at home to bottom club Vannes in November was the low point, although La Rochelle have had good wins against the likes of Bordeaux, Racing 92, and Stade Français.
They also started their Champions Cup campaign well last month, overcoming Johann van Graan’s Bath on a miserable night in Somerset and then notching a try-scoring bonus point as they dispatched Bristol back home.
While some of the French media feel this is the end of an era for the two-time Champions Cup winners, they still possess lots of the power and class that drove them to those titles.
Inside centre Jonathan Danty is out injured but hasn’t been in his best form for a while anyway, while big lock Will Skelton could return this weekend after missing the Toulouse game. Having the Aussie behemoth back would be important.
Captain and number eight Grégory Alldritt is in good form and continues to lead La Rochelle’s breakdown efforts as he makes up an excellent back row with Paul Boudehent – who started twice for France in the autumn – and the 21-year-old Oscar Jégou, who made his debut for les Bleus last year and was brilliant against Toulouse.
34-year-old scrum-half Tawera Kerr-Barlow is set to move on to Stade Français at the end of this season, with gifted Racing halfback Nolann le Garrec coming in, but he remains as combative and competitive as ever, while Hastoy made a big impact off the bench having replaced Ihaia West last weekend.
Hooker Pierre Bourgarit is a long-term injury absentee but former Wallabies international Tolu Latu brings power at number two, although he probably should have been sent off against Toulouse for landing down onto Simon Daroque’s knee when ploughing into a defensive ruck.
Tighthead prop Uinu Atonio is trucking along at the age of 34, while Reda Wardi is a fine loosehead. The likes of Ultan Dillane and 35-year-old Levani Botia give O’Gara and forwards coach Donnacha Ryan options up front.
An occasional lack of cutting edge in the back three should be addressed next season with the addition of brilliant Georgian flyer Davit Niniashvili from Lyon, but O’Gara knows La Rochelle probably need tries against a Leinster team that doesn’t give up many of them.
Jack Nowell and Dillyn Leyds started on the wings last weekend but the latter was forced off with a head injury, while Teddy Thomas – who has been playing at outside centre – is currently suspended.
So even though Leinster know all about the strengths of this La Rochelle team and how they can batter teams when they’re on song, there have been signs of vulnerability this season.
A win in Stade Marcel Deflandre would tee the Irish side up for another crack at the knock-outs with a favourable seeding, but La Rochelle will surely make them fight ferociously for it.
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